Temporary Paradise
by Thynerdgurl
Summary: SEQUEL TO 'Follow in the shadows' I RECOMMEND YOU READ THAT FIRST! The gang is settled down and happy, they're having kids...and that's it...yeah...this is kind of a filler for the leap between 'Follow in the shadows' and 'Crumbling like pastries'...You can skip to 'Crumbling like pastries' if you want...
1. Chapter 1

**Temporary Paradise**

**An: THIS IS THE SEQUEL TO 'Follow in the shadows' I SUGGEST READING THAT FIRST!**

Chapter 1: Newly-weds

Here I am, Ivy Prim-Rue Hawthorne. Married to my wonderful husband, Dylan Hawthorne, in district twelve. We've been married for a month and our lives are perfect. His art business is booming and the money just keeps flowing in. Reed and Echo moved in a few doors down. Echo was about a month and a half along in her pregnancy but it wasn't showing. Kale and Fiona had become engaged as well and were moving into twelve within weeks. We were living in my kind of paradise.

"Dylan, dinner's ready." I call from the kitchen. I can hear his hurried footsteps coming up the stairs from the shop below.

"Just in time." He smiles and gives me a peck on the lips while I pile some horribly seasoned soup into a bowl for him. I hand him the bowl and he sits at the little dining table. I sit across from him and watch as he wolfs down the soup.

"Hungry much?" I tease. He nods and gets up to get seconds. I laugh and eat my share. I gaze out the window to see the sun setting. It had been a quiet, peaceful month and I was enjoying it, until there was a knock on the door. The bottom floor of our house was the shop but there was a deck with stairs leading into the living space. I go to open the door.

"Oh, hey. What's wrong?" It's Reed, he looks like he's about to cry.

"W-we lost the baby." He breaks down and Dylan rushes from the kitchen to help Reed onto a couch. "It's dead, what did we do wrong?" he asks, his voice is muffled by the pillow he face-planted in. Dylan gives me a look and I leave the room.

I can hear sobs and comforting words as I make myself some tea, I can't help but feeling really bad for Reed, I can't imagine ever losing a child. I had never really thought about having children, I had always imagined that guys would be intimidated by my parents and I'd be single forever. I should probably go over and talk to Echo, but maybe later, she'd probably be much worse than Reed and I was horrible with words.

**. . .**

"He'll be okay." Dylan says while crawling into bed, Reed had left just minutes ago and the sun had been down for a while. "I hate to see him in so much pain." He says through the dark. I curl up to him and he wraps his arms around me.

"When do you think we should have kids?" I ask, I can feel him tense.

"When ever you want." He replies. I nod.

"I want to plan it so that all of our children will be the same age." I tell him truthfully. I hear his chuckle.

"That would be fun." He strokes my hair and says goodnight. I close my eyes and fall asleep.

**(An: Okay, I know it's short but it's kind of like just a beginning thingy, I try to make all actual chapters 1,000 words or more, sometimes I fall a bit short but I try!)**

**REVIEW, ALERT AND FAVORITE, THANK YOU!**


	2. Chapter 2

**(AN: the long awaited chapter 2! I feel like I haven't updated for Ivy in a while.)**

Chapter 2: Dealing

"Reed, you have to suck it up! Today is a happy day!" Echo growls under her breath. She has wet eyes too though.

"I know, I know…sorry." He wiped his eyes and straightened his back. "Okay ready." Echo fixed his tie and turned to is.

"You excited?" Dylan whispered in my ear. I smiled up at him and nodded. It was finally here, Kale and Fiona's wedding.

Echo and I sprinted over to our seats as the groomsmen and bridesmaids were to enter. Kale was already on the mini-stage, he looked good in his tux. First out was Kale's best friend from seven, Tave, and Fiona's friend. Next was Reed, who was matched up with a short, black-haired girl. Dylan came in after, with a red-haired girl who was eyeing him in a way I really didn't like. Echo giggled and grabbed my arm, it was the first time I'd heard her laugh since they lost the baby.

"Calm down, he only has eyes for you." She says. I smile at her, but she doesn't return it. I didn't expect her to; they said they were going to try again soon.

"It's not him I'm worried about." She nods in understanding and the bridal music starts. Fiona came out, with her dad on her arm. Fiona and Kale were the last to get married out of us all, Reed and Fiona's wedding was about a week earlier. Fiona was wearing an elegant dress that's sleeves went down her entire arm. Her hair was put up a simple bun. Looking at Kale, he looked like he was about to faint.

The only imperfection we had in our little world was the loss of Reed and Echo's child; I looked forward to getting past that. Reed had been more emotional about it than Echo, but I know she was just trying to be strong. The final vows were said and Kale whisked Fiona off to their house.

"Look at those two lovebirds, I wish I had a relationship like that." I hear a girl say from behind me, I turn around to see the red-haired girl twirling her hair at Dylan. And with it being in my nature, I did something about it.

"Oh Dylan, sweetie!" I come up, take his hand and kiss his cheek. "How'd you like the wedding?" I bat my eyes, he can see right through this act. He pulls me to the side.

"What's that about?" He asks. I don't know really, a wave of jealousy washed over me and I had to grab him from her. I shrugged and he kissed my fore-head. "Life is perfect for us…isn't it?"

"Maybe if girls wouldn't throw themselves at you left and right." I grumbled. Dylan chucked and fixed my hair. He'd been the heart-throb of the town for a while now; girls would stop by the store just to look at him.

"Oh come on, you're the only one worth catching." Why did he have to be so cheesy and sweet? Sometimes it was overwhelming, but I needed to hear it right now. "I love you Ivy." He took my hand.

"I love you too Dylan." I blushed as we walked back to the party.

A new tradition in twelve was that all the guests would stay for a party while the newly-wed couple would go home and do the toasting. Dylan and I did or toasting the day after our wedding.

"Glad you could join." Fiona and Reed were completely drunk. They were practically making out on the bar.

"Glad we could make it." Dylan says, his arm is around my waist now. "Bartender, one margarita for the lovely lady!" He calls then smiles at me.

He's really sucking up now, he knows the red-head will be back, and I'll be mad. The bartender hands us the drink and I nearly chug it down. I'd never drunken alcohol before.

Before I know it, I'm dancing with Dylan on the dance floor, I found it hard to place my feet correctly. I didn't know what was going on around me.

"Whoa!" I say as I'm falling over after a wrong step. Dylan catches me.

"Tipsy much?" he asks. I giggle and he walks me out of the party. We walk in the cool evening air back to our house in the town center. He opens the door and I tumble through. He helps me up the stairs and into our room. "Three drinks is the magic number, I'll remember that next time." He laughs to himself. That's when I suddenly get an urge. I wrap my arms around his neck and smash my lips against his. I know for a fact that if I had done this six months ago, he would have pushed away, but he does now for some reason. "Ivy, you're drunk." He says, helping me get into my pajamas.

"B-but we're married." I look up at him.

"I know, but it's wrong, you're drunk." He repeats. I look down at the bed and climb in; the urge still hasn't left me. He gets in after me and I wrap my legs around him, trying to get him to change his mind. "No." he says simply. I sigh in defeat and untangle myself from him, Dylan chuckles quietly. "I never said you had to move." I punch his arm and go to sleep.

**(An: this is kinda gunna be slow until I get to the whole pregnancy thingy…just bear with me, I'll probably try to fluff it up some more.)**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I woke up to the sun shining through the window and the curtains swaying softly in the breeze. I roll over to find an empty spot next to me; Dylan must already be at the store.

"Dylan?" I call, just to be sure. There's no reply. I quickly sit up, but soon find how awful of a mistake that was. I feel like someone just cracked a hammer onto my head. With a groan, I lay back down. After a while of squeezing my eyes closed I try again, slowly this time. My head hurts less, but it still hurts. I get dressed, moving as slowly as I can and make my way into the kitchen to make myself some tea. I can hear Dylan talking with customers from the small dining table; his words are muffled due to the floorboards. As I sip the tea I look out the window to find its well into the day. The tea helps clear my head and makes the throbbing less.

I decide to help Dylan at the register. I walk downstairs and enter the store, there's at least five people looking around and Dylan is talking to a customer at the front desk. Walking into the storage room, I began organizing the new shipments of supplies.

"Ivy, let me help you with that." Dylan came from behind me and lifted the box I was reaching for.

"Thanks Dy." I smile and kiss his cheek.

"No problem. Hey, you want to catch lunch? I'm on break." He grins when I nod and takes my hand. "Well then, let's go."

It was a nice lunch at the little café down the street. It had a nice seating area outside.

"So, how's business?" I asked him as I sipped my lemonade. He chuckled a bit.

"Enough to keep our house, store and for me to treat you to lunch like this every day." I laugh at his reply, we were well off.

"Well, maybe not every day." He laughs along. "Plus, is that enough to support children?" I ask, more seriously than before. He nearly does a spit-take with his coffee.

"You're thinking about children?" He asks, staring at me intently. I shy away from his gaze and shrug. "Oh…well, so have I." he stirs his coffee while staring at the swirls his spoon made in the cream. "What time frame were you thinking about?" He asks quietly. I shrug again.

"I don't know…sometime soon, I mean, nineteen is a bit young…" I let my voice trail off. "Maybe when we're twenty or so." He looks up, a small smile spreading across his face.

"So…In about a year?" The smile soon turns cheeky. I throw a cube of sugar at him.

"Don't get too anxious." I warn. He's still grinning like an idiot by the time the waitress serves us or lunch. We eat in silence for a few moments.

"Nickolai or Aemii." He whispers. I look at him, confused.

"What?" I ask for clarification.

"Those are the names I like, Nickolai for a boy and Aemii for a girl." I smiled along with him, loving how much he looked forward to starting a family.

"Yeah, I like those names." His smile seems to grow with my words, if that was possible. We go off into another silence and eat our lunches, enjoying the quiet breeze.

"You ready for your bill?" the waitress broke the silence. Dylan nodded and slipped some bills into it before handing it back to her. She smiled and walked away with the paid bill.

"Alright, let's go." He said. He stood up and pulled out my chair for me. I stood up and took his hand. We were a quiet couple, no words needed to be said between us, never once had we fought. The walk home was silent; I enjoyed his finger entwined in mine. It was a short stroll home and Dylan opened up the shop as soon as we got back. "Why don't you go upstairs?" he suggested. "I can handle the customers." He gave me a smile. I kissed his cheek and walked up the stairs.

I heard the murmurs of Dylan speaking with customers through the floorboards. I wrote him a note and set it on the table.

_Dylan,_

_I'm off to visit Echo and Reed._

_-Ivy_

And with that I left the house, I walked the block it took to get to the Odair's house. I knocked on the door and it opened almost instantly.

"Ivy! Come in, come in! Please, sit down." The words rushed out of Echo's mouth as she practically shoved me into the living room. She was grinning from ear to ear.

"Why so happy?" I asked, sitting on the couch and taking the glass of water that was pushed at me. She just kept smiling. She eventually gathered Reed into the room and sat on the couch opposite from me.

"We're going to try again!" She squealed, almost knocking Reed over. The smile on his face was unmistakable.

"When?" I asked, not even bothering to fight my own grin.

"Days or weeks." She said happily.

"This is such great news." I told them. Reed was beaming and Echo was nodding enthusiastically.

We spent about a half an hour just talking about random things, like work and being a stay-at-home wife.

"So…when are you and Dylan going to try?" She asked cheekily. I blushed.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe in a few months or so." I admitted. Echo shrieked loudly and Reed chuckled.

"Our kids could all be the same age!" It was just the thing I expected Echo to say. I nodded at her, she sure was happy today.

"That's what I was thinking." I told her. Her smile seemed to widen, if that was possible.

After another good amount of conversation, I decided it was time for me to head home. I said good-bye to the ecstatic couple and began my walk home. I opened the door to find the store's light was off. I figured he must have been upstairs.

"Dylan?" I called through the house. I padded through the hall to hear soft snoring in the bedroom; he must have had a long day. I undressed and crawled into bed next to him. "Goodnight Dylan." I whispered into his chest.

**An: Okay, so I took my friend to see 'Hunger Games' in the theatre (I've been trying to get her to read the books but she won't read past the reaping) and every single time Peeta came onto the screen she'd look at me and go "But Gale…" and I'd go "But shut up and watch the movie!"…needless to say, she went team Gale on me and we butted heads for an hour after the movie, debating who was better suited for Katniss (Based off the first movie, not book…movie) and because I couldn't use plot points from the first, second or third book…she won…based on his face when Peeta and Katniss kissed -_-**

**Her: "But Gale loves her!"**

**Me: "PEETA LOVED HER FIRST!"**

**My brain: GALE DESERTED HER WHEN SHE NEEDED HIM THE MOST, HE INDIRECTLY KILLED HER SISTER AND PEETA WAS THERE! PEETA LOST ALL OF HIS FAMILY AND MEMORIES AND STILL COMFORTED HER!**

**Her: "Peeta didn't even kill anyone, he's a pussy."**

**Me: "He kinda killed foxface."**

**My brain: HIS MOTHER HITS HIM, HE LOST HIS ENTIRE FAMILY! HE WENT THROUGH TORTURE AND TWO HUNGER GAMES…HE AIN'T NO PUSSY!**

**Her: "…Who's foxface…"**

**Me: "The ginger from district five."**

**Her: "Is her name really foxface…and what does district five do?"**

**Me: "READ THE BOOKS"**

**And alas, the best part!**

**(Earlier that week, on the phone with her)**

**Me: "Okay, so if you know so much about the book, tell me three main things."**

**Her: "Prim gets reaped and Katniss volunteers…Gale is friends with Katniss. And some other dude gets reaped with her."**

**Me: *facepalm* "and what's the other dude's name?"**

**Her: "Peeta or something…"**

**Me: "Now, why is Peeta significant?"**

**Her: "Because he's from the same district as her…district ten right? Oh and his mom is the baker."**

**Me: "…..RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGE!"**


	4. Chapter 4

**An: F—K IT! IMMA GO GET THE GIRLS PREGGERS! NOW WATCH AS I IMPREGNATE MY FEMALE CHARACTERS! (yes I'm trying to be creepy)**

**P.S. This chapter is PG, so don't get your hopes up (I suck at writing M stuff)**

Chapter 4

**Reed POV**

"Reed! Come quick!" Echo's voice came through the hall. I put the laptop down and ran to where her voice was coming from. She was standing in the doorway of the bathroom, holding a little white stick.

"What is it? Are you hurt?" I asked, skidding to a halt. She's crying but also smiling, she looks up at me and giggles at my worry.

"Oh honey…I'm pregnant!" I could feel my grin swallowing my face whole. On an instinct I picked her up and spun her around.

"This is great!" I said planting a kiss on her lips.

"You're going to be a daddy!" She squeals excitedly I put her down and wrap her into a hug. "We should call everyone here to tell them!" She suggests. I nod and run to the phone to dial a number.

"_Hello?"_

"Hello! Dad, it's me…Reed."

"_Reed! Hello, what a great time to call, Annie is here."_

"Well tell Grandma I said 'Hi'."

"_So…what's up?"_

"How soon are you able to come to district twelve? Big news and I want to tell you in person."

"_Ummm…we can get down there tomorrow."_

"Perfect, got to go, bye."

"_Bye son, tell Echo I said Hi."_

I hang up the phone and turn to Echo.

"My dad and Grandma can be here by tomorrow." She smiles and walks past me to call her parents and our friends. I can hear her happily chatting with either Ivy or Fiona while I go into the other room. It was night so I lie on the bed and stare at the ceiling, grinning like a fool. I couldn't wait to shove this in Kale and Dylan's faces. Knowing Echo, Ivy and Fiona would be convinced to start having kids in a matter of weeks. I chuckled and held my hands under my head. Echo eventually entered the room and undressed to put her pajamas on. She crawls into the bed and snuggles up next to me, I put my arm around her and kiss her forehead.

"We'll do it right this time." She whispers. "We'll keep this one." My smile falters, remembering the lost baby. "Is it too early to think up names?" she asked excitedly, I shook my head. "Okay, so I'm thinking Janai if it's a girl…or Jae if it's a boy." She is practically shaking in my arms from happiness.

"Oh, so I don't get a say in it?" I ask teasingly. She giggles and flips over to face me.

"You can decide on the middle name if you really want a saying." She sticks out her tongue. I give her a sad smile as I find the perfect nickname.

"Finnick…Janai Finnick Odair or Jae Finnick Odair." I tell her. Her smile becomes sad and she buries her face in my chest. "Goodnight Echo." I tell her.

"Goodnight Reed." She whispers. I close my eyes and fall asleep.

**. . .**

I step onto the train station platform to see the doors to the train opening. My dad walks out with my grandma by his side.

"Reed, my boy!" he says, slapping me on the back.

"Finn, don't hurt the poor boy." Grandma Annie scolded him I chuckled but my back did sting a bit.

"Daddy!" Echo flung herself at her father, a tall Capitol man with fading blue hair. He had a white suit and held his head high as though he were better than the entirety of district twelve, he wasn't exactly welcoming of the fact we were moving here, heck, he barely approves of me. I'm not the kind of son-in-law who begs for approval…but it would be nice if he didn't introduce Echo to arrangements of Capitol men saying she could do better than 'District scum' like me. Regardless of who my grandfather was he still has no respect for my and Echo's relationship.

"Reed." I'm pulled back into reality by his greeting.

"Mr. Klow." I nod in his direction before Echo's mom follows her father. Echo's mom is the kind of woman who loves me beyond belief.

"Oh Reed! It's so wonderful to see you!" her hair is blonde and she's wearing a matching pant-suit to her husband's

"It's good to see you too Mrs. Klow." I shake her outstretched hand and she laughs.

"Please, it's Deema." She always insists I call her by her first name.

"Alright…Deema." I smile at her squeal.

We make back to our little house and they settle on the couch. I get the door while Echo and Annie talk, I also see my dad schmoozing up Mr. Klow. Kale and Fiona are at the door.

"Hey man!" Kale gives me a fist bump. I smile and escort him and Fiona to the living room. I see Echo has brought out a bowl of chips and another of dip. Just then the door-bell rings again and I find myself running to get it. Dylan and Ivy are on the other side.

"Hi Reed!" Ivy waves and smiles, Dylan is holding a bottle of wine.

"Dylan, Ivy. Come on in guys!" I wave them in, taking the bottle handed to me. Dylan and Ivy sit down and Echo brings me up to face everyone with her.

"Okay…" Echo begins, calling for everyone's attention. "Everybody, Reed and I are having a baby…In nine months but still!" she blurts out. Her mom screams with excitement but I can see the caution on our peer's faces. "It will live this time, I found out that the reason we…lost the last one was because of my diet." We had visited the doctor about a week after and found that Echo was on some diet that made it so the baby couldn't get the nutrients needed. Ivy and Fiona's faces burst into smiles.

"This is amazing news!" Fiona says. Echo's face turns serious and I know what's coming next.

"You two are next." She points to the now scared looking girls, Dylan and Kale start laughing and Echo's dad looks confused.

**An: how'd you guys like this one? Next chapter is Ivy's 'OMG HOLY F—K I'M PREGGERS' story :3**


	5. Authors note

**An: Sorry guys! I know I haven't updated in a looooong time, but I'm working on making 'Together we run' into a graphic novel (A pretty badly drawn one but still!) So…..yeah…I'll try to update soon!**


	6. Chapter 5 MRATED

**An: READ THIS: I got a request to make this an M-rated chapter and I thought 'hey, why not, I've never really tried.' So if you're not comfortable with M-rated stuff, DO NOT READ, This is NOT the chapter where Ivy announces she'd pregnant (It's the conceiving…but still!)**

_**This chapter holds no future info that isn't implied in the message above…so you can just skip if you want and you wouldn't be missing anything**_

Chapter 5

**-LEMONS-**

**Ivy POV**

I stand in the kitchen, hovering over the tea kettle. I'm boiling water for hot chocolate, it's been cold out lately and winter is coming.

Reed and Echo were three months along in their pregnancy.

I hear footsteps enter the kitchen, I don't turn around. He comes up from behind me and wraps his arms around my waist, resting his head on my shoulder.

"Hey there beautiful." He whispers, his hot breath flowing past my ear. I bite back a blush and a grin. I turn around in his arms so that I'm facing him; my back is now pressed against the counter.

"Hi Dylan." I whisper back, he smirks and presses his lips against mine, a feeling I'll never get used to. I kiss him back, pulling my arms around his neck. I part my lips slightly, but it's enough time for his tongue to enter my mouth and dance along with mine. His hands are on my thighs and he's lifting me so that I'm sitting on the counter, my legs wrap around his hips. I can feel his hard-on and he's grinding it against me, making a moan escape my lips. His hands start traveling up, they reach where my shirt starts and he lifts it enough for his hands to get inside.

Just then the tea kettle starts screaming, he jumps away from me, as it the kettle were my dad. Dad had once walked in on me and Dylan kissing; it was awkward, until he erupted into laughter and left the room. I hop down from the counter and place the kettle on a different burner, turning off the now red-hot one.

"Damn inanimate objects." Dylan grumbles as he stalks out of the room, I can't hold back my giggle. I take two mugs from the cupboards and fill them with steaming hot water before dumping a packet of 'hot co-co mix' in each of them, stirring them with spoons. I took both mugs into the living room where the fireplace was lit and Dylan was coaxing a log into the flames. I sit on the couch in front of the fireplace and put both mugs of steaming hot co-co on the side-table. Dylan came and sat next to me, pulling a blanket around the two of us. _Ah, I just love winter. _I thought to myself as I cuddled up to Dylan. My legs were on the couch, causing Dylan to place his hand on my upper thigh when reaching around my waist. _I picked the right day to wear mini-shorts._ Then I silently cursed myself, knowing the temperature, but here with the co-co, fire and Dylan I was practically sweating from the heat. His hand started rubbing my thigh and I turn my head to face him, his lips are just inches from mine. I lean in to kiss him but he goes for my neck, placing kisses from behind my ear to my collar bone. I let out a gasp as he nibbles on my neck; he gives me a pleased smirk before returning to the kisses. He's teasing me, I try to capture his lips numerous times but he evades them all and lets out an amused chuckle.

"Come on, not funny Dylan." I groan, swinging my leg over his so that I'm straddling him. He scoffs and pulls me into him to kiss me; I happily oblige and wrap my arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. He pulls at the hem of my shirt, urging me to take it off. I let go of him and lift the shirt over my head and toss it on the floor. He takes in the sight with an unsteady breath and a grin.

"I'll never get used to this." He breathes, cupping my breasts in his hands. I lean in to kiss him again, but this kiss is more urgent and full of lust as I feel the heat coming from between my legs. I must have adjusted my position because now he's breathing more heavily and his erection is very noticeable. I smile against his lips and begin to peel his shirt off of him, once it's in a crumpled heap next to mine I run my hands up and down his torso. He hooks his fingers into the belt loops of my pants to bring my hips closer to his; a deep groan comes from the back of his throat. In response I shift my hips, already having memorized his reactions to certain movements. He gives off the exact reaction I expected, another deep groan and a bucking of his own hips. I pull away to see his grey eyes darken with lust, I reach down to unbutton his jeans, after which he shimmies out of then goes to take my shorts off. We're down to our underwear when he stands up, brining me with him. My legs are still hooked around him as he walks to the bedroom, still kissing me. He gently tosses me on the bed and closes the door behind him before coming over to where I'm now propped up by my elbows. He crawls above me and nudges my legs open with his knee, which I don't protest to. He sits me up to unclasp my bra and throw it across the room. He cups one of my breasts in his hand before bringing his lips to it, causing me to gasp and whimper. He hooks his fingers under the elastic of my panties and pulls them down my legs, tossing them by my discarded bra. His hand goes from the mattress to my inner thigh, inching upwards. He rubs the tip of his index finger against the growing wetness, slipping a finger in, causing me it arch my back upwards from the pleasure.

"You trying to torture me?" I hiss at him, he loves to tease me like this.

"You know it." He breathes into my ear. I grab the top of his boxer short and yank them down so they hand around his knees. He smiles then positions himself between my hips before slowly pushing in. I wrap my legs around his waist, urging him to go deeper. As the pumping gets faster and harder the moans seen to get louder, I find myself trying not to wake up the neighbors from the screams of his name.

Eventually he finishes and collapses beside me, we're both panting heavily. Once our lungs catch up with our brains I pull the blankets over us, cuddling into his form, exhausted.

That night was probably the best night sleep I had ever gotten.

**An: I hope you know what a pain-in-the-ass that was to write! It was sooooo awkward for me so it's the only one you're EVER getting out of me, I'm fine with make-out scenes…but any further is the depths of the unknown for me. I was just going off the other fanfics I've read of this shit…yep…there you go…**

**I HAVE GIVEN LIFE TO N-…nope! That's spoilers :P you won't know the baby's name until Ivy and Dylan do too!**


	7. Chapter 6

**An: okay, this chapter is safe, lol! NOT M-rated, all-though with the new rules set in place I might be more comfortable with writing suggestive stories…not as unknown :P**

Chapter 6

One morning I awake to a lurch in my stomach that travels to my throat, I barely make it into the bathroom before I'm spewing my guts. I've been doing this for about a month now, not once has Dylan caught on, he'd take me to a hospital. I hear soft footsteps padding towards where I am. _No!_

"Ivy…what's wrong?" He asks. My answer is another round of violent vomiting. He comes behind me and gathers my hair away from my face. "Have you taken a test?" I narrow my eyes_. Test? What test?_ "I'll take that as a no." he grabs a hair band from the counter and ties my hair back so he can go to the cabinet to grab a little box. He pulls a small white stick from it and hands it to me once I'm done. He wipes at the corners of my mouth with a wash cloth before silently leaving the room. I stare at the white stick for a few seconds before I hear Dylan's voice from the other side of the door. "You're supposed to pee on it." He chuckles.

"Dylan…" I say, unsure of the little blue plus I'm staring at.

"Yes?" He pokes his head in the door and I hand him the stick. He stares at it blankly before it falls to the floor. He turns his head to me and his face in enveloped in a huge grin. He picks me up into a hug and kisses my forehead.

"What does that mean?" I ask dumbly.

"You're pregnant!" He breathes. I can't help my own grin and squeal. I attack him in kisses and the small blue plus that has inevitably changed our lives is disregarded. "How long have you been having mornings like this?" he asks.

"Three to four weeks." I answer. He kisses the tip of my nose.

"Echo will be so happy that our children will be the same age." I giggle at this, knowing she'll freak out.

"Alright, let's go over to my parent's after breakfast to tell them…call your mom." I tell him as I go to the kitchen to cook some eggs. I don't say parents because there was recent news that Mia left Gale and took Kyler and Hailey with her, plus I knew how much Dylan hated Gale.

"Mom?" Dylan says into the phone. "Yeah, it's me…Dylan…yeah…yes…fine, you?...actually…let me finish!...NO! how cou-…jus-…MOM! Listen to me! Ivy is pregnant…ow, my ear!...yes but there's no need to scream…I know, I am too…alright…oh, she is?...that's great…no…no…NO! really there's no need!...please don't…yes…yeah you embarrass me!...I don't know." I giggle at just his side of what must be a pretty weird conversation. I come up from behind him to whisper in his free ear.

"Tell her she can visit for the baby shower." He nods.

"…no, she said you could come for the babyshower…yes…okay…bye…lo-…love-…" he sighs, frustrated. "Loveyoubye!" he blurts before hanging it up. I giggle and he turns around to face me. "That woman, I swear to god is worse than Effie." He jokes, I can only agree before going back to tend to the eggs.

**. . .**

"Okay, so we have some good news." I tell mom and dad. Dad smiles at us and mom keeps a poker face. "I'm pregnant." I gush, grinning like a fool. My dad smirks and mom glares at Dylan.

"Who's kid is it?" My dad jokes.

"Reed's." I joke back. "No, of course it's Dylan's!" I smack his arm and he chuckles.

"Just making sure, Katniss…we're going to b grandparents!" He shakes my mom's arm and she gives a weak smile. She seems to be fading out with age and it scares my dad beyond the point his sanity will allow. "So, think of names." Dylan blushes.

"We thought of names before Echo was even pregnant." He says timidly. My dad roars with laughter and asks what they are. "We're thinking Nickolai or Aemii, or something Latin." He admits, we're both in love with Latin and think the names are amazing. My dad chuckles.

"We never put that much thought into naming you and Remus." He admits.

"What about me?" Remus enters the room. "Hey Ivy…Dylan." He greets us.

"You are going to be an uncle." Dad informs him, he smiles widely.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" he asks me and Dylan. I look at Dylan and shrug.

"We don't know." I admit to him. His smile falters but only for a second.

"Well, I'm out. I'm spending the day with Justeen." He prances out the door. Justeen was his new fascination, A.K.A. girlfriend.

**. . .**

"WHAT? NO FREAKING WAY! THIS IS AWESOME!" Echo screams. Reed tells her to calm down and then rubs her growing stomach lovingly. "Fiona! You're next!" she tells the other girl. Fiona blushes and leans into Kale "Well, what gender?" she turns back to me and Dylan.

"I don't know." I tell her. She narrows her eyes at me.

"Did 'ja pee on the stick?" I nod. "What color was the plus?" she asks.

"Why?" Why would she need to know that.

"It's the Capitol! If the plus was blue it's a boy, and if it's pink it's a girl." I turn to Dylan and smile.

"Well then I guess we're having a boy." I grin. Echo frowns.

"Damn it! I wanted our kids to date!" She pouts, so theirs is a boy I'm guessing.

"Still, they can be the best of friends." I comfort her.

"Don't leave my future kid out!" Fiona teases us.

All six of us settle into comfortable conversation. Talking about names and what life will be like once our children are our age. Fiona seems a bit out of it and remorseful during the conversation, I don't know what she's hiding and I won't pry.

All I know is that this will be awesome.

**An: can anyone guess Fiona's secret? If I have even 1 person guess than the next chapter will be out about thirty minutes after they review! So get guessing if you don't want me to procrastinate!**


	8. Chapter 7

**An: Screw it, I'm not waiting for anyone to guess…**

Chapter 7

**Kale POV**

I see Fiona shaking something; her leg is bobbing up and down nervously. I some up from behind her and kiss her cheek, she jumps at my touch.

"What's that?" I ask, looking down to see the small white stick in her hand, it has a black line on it. "What does that mean?" I ask. A chocked sob erupts from her and she walks away, silently sobbing.

"I-I'm going out." She blurts before grabbing her coat and running out the door.

"Odd." I murmur out loud. I decide to call Reed to ask what that black line meant. "Hey man, it's Kale."

"Kale, buddy…what's wrong, you sound like you just got punched in the gut."

"Well, I walked in on Fiona with a pregnancy test and it had a black line on it, she's pretty upset."

Silence from the other end of the phone.

"Yo-you might want to read the box yourself…bye." And with that he hangs up. I curiously reach for the box on the counter and read what the symbols mean.

Pink plus – baby girl

Blue plus – baby boy

Black plus – see a doctor about your baby

Grey line – not pregnant

Black line – infertile

The box slips from my hands and crashes onto the ground. I feel tears start to reach my eyes.

_This can't be happening, it can't be true._

When Fiona gets home she says nothing, she crawls into bed and bawls her eyes out, she even refuses to let me hold her

A few days later the phone rings.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Mr. Rendar?"

"That's me."

"This is Dr. McCray from the fertility clinic in the Capitol, we got a call from Mrs. Rendar about setting up an appointment for an artificial fertilization." I nearly drop the phone.

"Uh…a what?"

"It's a procedure that impregnates infertile women using a sperm sample from their significant other."

"Oh…"

"Yeah, your appointment is in two days at noon."

"Thank you." And with that I hang up and turn around to see Fiona. She has dark bags under her eyes and her hair is a mess, I know better than to yell at her for not telling me. "Come here." I pull her into a hug, I've missed her touch. "The appointment is in two days, if we catch a train tonight we can spend a few days shopping." I smile softly at her and she nods. She turns to walk to the bedroom to put on clothes.

We get to the train station, bags packed and all.

"Now boarding." The monotonic voice calls. I take Fiona's hand and we step onto the train, being shown to our room. We'd be at the capitol tomorrow, early in the afternoon. We settle into the room in silence.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked her. A tear rolled down her cheek and I brought my hand up to wipe it away.

"I-I thought that maybe you…you wouldn't love me anymore." She sobs. My eyes widen and I pull her into another hug.

"I could never…EVER…stop loving you…you hear me?" I stroke her hair. "I love you so much Fiona." I whisper.

"I love you too." She buries her head in my chest. After we settle into bed she turns to me and smiles widely. "How about I make up a girl name and you make up a boy name." she suggests, I nod. Anything to help her feel better. "I was thinking Raine Johanna Rendar." Her smile grows.

"Hmm…" I think. "Aden Fergus Rendar." I tell her. Fergus was her father's name and she loved him dearly.

"Thank you." She whispers then snuggles into me. "I love it."

We go to sleep happy that night.

**. . .**

"Alright Mr. Rendar, the procedure was a success." Dr. McCray comes out of the room. It felt weird being called Mr. Rendar…that was my dad, not me. I give him a curt nod and wait for Fiona to be wheeled out. "She will need to stay here for a week's so we can make sure nothing happens." I nod again and run over too her, taking her wheel chair from the nurse and taking her to her hospital room.

"Kale…" she says after I get her into the hospital bed.

"Yes?" I ask, sitting on the chair next to the bed.

"What if I'm a horrible mom?" That's my Fiona, always doubting herself and insecure. I take her hand and kiss it.

"You, Mrs. Rendar, are going to be the best mother in the world." She smiles at my response and decides to go to sleep.

My phone rings, it's Dylan.

"Hi Dylan."

"Hey Kale, where are you? Ivy said she went to pay Fiona a visit and no one was home."

"Oh, yeah. We're in the Capitol."

Silence.

"…why? What's in the Capitol?" It's now Ivy's voice.

"Relax weed." I've been calling her weed as a nickname, she hates it. "We're here to just do some shopping, I wanted to cheer Fiona up, she's been a bit down lately." I explain.

"I noticed, well Echo just started her hormonal rage … it sucks, I feel real bad for Reed." I chuckle.

"It'll be you next." I joke.

"EY! I'm more calm than Echo, I won't be PMSing twenty four seven." She retorts. I hear Dylan laughing and denying what she just said. "You guys are so mean to me!"

"It's our job weed! We're supposed to be mean to you."

"Oh well, oh and they have a name for their kid."

"Really? What is it?"

"Jae Finnick Odair." She snorts. She must find it funny as Reed is Reed Finnick Odair.

We chat some more before she has to go, we hang up and I turn to my sleeping wife. So happy that we will now have a child.

"I love you Fiona." I whisper and brush her hair back so I can kiss her forehead.

**An: Okay, how'd you like that? YAAAAY!**


	9. Chapter 8

**An: Sorry I'm late guys! This is a fast forward through the pregnancies since I find it to be a dull and boring thing to write.**

Chapter 8

**Ivy POV**

We're sitting in Echo and Reed's living room with her barking orders at him to get lemonade. She is currently six months pregnant, which leaves me at three and Fiona at two.

"You're next." Reed grumbles at Dylan, who's chuckling at this poor display of who wears the pants in this house. "Then you Rendar!" he points to Kale before disappearing into the kitchen.

"You really got him whipped." I joke to Echo. She scoffs and waves her hand.

"My pedestal will crumble within the next four months, I can tell you that!" she says, laughing softly. We all laugh along with her as Reed comes in once more with yet another jug of lemonade.

We settle back into laughing and joking about poor Reed and his loss of control.

**Echo POV**

Hell…that sums this up. I can't sit down without having to support my back; I have to get Reed to help me stand up. I've been eating more than Kale usually does…and that boy can chow! I've been so helpless and the extra weight is killing me. And now here I am…on the floor, on my back…like a freaking turtle, I don't know how I got here.

"Reed!" I call angrily. Upon entering the room he doubles over in a fit of laughter. "HELP ME UP!" I scream. He just shakes his head and continues laughing. "YOU DID THIS TO ME YOU SON OF A BITCH! GET OVER HERE AND HELP ME UP!" I can feel my face go red in rage. He finally gives up and comes over to help me roll into a sitting position.

"You're funny when you're mad." He's still lightly chuckling.

"Go to hell you ass hole." I mumble. He scoffs and helps me onto my feet.

"What were you trying to do?" he questions.

"I don't know, all I remember was reaching for my coffee then I was on my back like a turtle." I grumble a few more profanities before wobbling over to the kitchen. Eight months is the worst so far, my stomach is the size of the Capitol and my hormones are through the roof. I can only imagine Ivy and Dylan's situation, he must be pulling out his hair in frustration, five months was bad for me…then again…anywhere past three was horrible. I know Kale and Fiona have it easy, that girl wouldn't be hormonal if you injected her with it.

"Now, remember, we're going to Kale and Fiona's for dinner tonight." Reed calls from the living room.

"Oh wonderful." I mumble. I can't wait until this is all over, and by all over I mean once Fiona's baby is born…and for that I'll have to wait another five or so months.

"Oh come on…it'll be fun." Reed says, coming up from behind me and planting a kiss on my collar bone.

"I hate you…sooooo much." Another thing about this damn pregnancy, I'm trying to not have sex until the baby is born, which Reed has taken it upon himself to make that a very hard vow to keep.

**Fiona POV**

"Relax babe, the table setting looks fine." Kale comforts me as I shift a place mat for the third time in a row.

"I know…but everything has to be perfect." I pout. I've become more O.C.D. since this baby came into the picture; I guess I just feel like if even the little things are perfect then this baby will have a perfect life. I give a small sigh of defeat. "Okay, I'll back off." I throw my hands up and back away from the table, resisting the urge to scoot the fork a bit to the right. As soon as Kale leans down to give me a kiss the doorbell rings, he runs to get it.

"Hey! Dylan, Ivy! Come on in." I hear Kale greet whoever is at the door. I grab the bowl of pretzels and a jug of lemonade. I walk into the living room and place the beverages and snacks on the coffee table.

"Hello Ivy. Hi Dylan." I give them a small smile before turning back to the kitchen to continue cooking the meatloaf I had going in the stove. I can hear the three chatting in the living room before I hear footsteps behind me.

"Hey, is there anything I can do to help?" Ivy asks. I turn to smile at her and shake my head.

"No, but thanks…it's weird isn't it?" I ask. She tilts her head to the side a bit. "All three of us being pregnant…especially Echo." We giggle at this.

"It really is, it's also weird having to rely on our husbands." She jokes, we giggle more and I hear Kale get the door for Echo and Reed. "We're in here." Ivy calls as Echo asks for us. "Although Echo did get the brunt of it." She whispers before Echo enters the kitchen.

"You know what happened to me today?" Echo blurted.

"Hello to you too." I chuckled as I fished the meatloaf out of the oven.

"I was on my back like a freaking turtle and Reed comes in and starts laughing! His first thoughts aren't 'oh, maybe I should help my wife.' No! They're to burst out laughing his ass off." She complains. Ivy bites back a giggle, mine isn't so well held back. "You think that's funny? You guys are next." She mumbles as she wobbles to the island to sit down.

The rest of the evening was quiet and tame; no arguments broke out or anything. In fact, we all were talking about how our children might interact with one another. When Echo suggested our child dating theirs Ivy broke out in protest of 'what about Nickolai?' Echo ignored her and went on to plan their wedding.

"What if they don't want to date?" I ask.

"I'll make them." Echo says passively. We all laugh at this and go on with our dinner.

**An: I'M BORED OF PREGNANT WOMEN WOBBLING AROUND! THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE FILLED WITH A SCREAMING ECHO…IF YAH KNOW WHAT I MEAN ;P**


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

**Reed POV**

"Damn it!" Echo yelps as she clutches the back of her chair.

"What is it?" I ask her, running over to her side. She was clutching her stomach with one hand.

"I- OW! Labor!" she screamed. I jumped and grabbed the car keys before ushering her out the door and into the car. I sped off to the hospital.

"Breathe babe, breathe." I try to sound confident, but I know I'd be screaming in panic if it weren't for her already doing that.

As I pull into the E.R. area I hit the brakes and jump out of the car, taking Echo into the building with me.

"Hello, how may we help you?" One of the nurses asks.

"Uh…my wife is going into labor." I struggle to keep my tone even. The nurses jump into action and begin to console my screaming wife. She's hollering profanities at me as the nurses lead her down the hall. I whip out my phone, chuckling, I dial in the number.

"Hey man, what's up?" Comes the answer.

"Kale, Echo's in labor." I say nonchalantly. Fiona starts screaming from the other end of the phone. I hang up and call Dylan.

**. . .**

**4 hours later**

"Echo! He's beautiful!" I tell her, being handed the baby.

"And what will you guys name him?" a nurse asked, handing me some paperwork. I gave the baby to Echo and took the clip-board. I looked at Echo for confirmation for what I was about to write, she gave a small nod.

_Jae Finnick Odair_

I wrote on the paper and handed it to the nurse.

**. . .**

I open the door to our house for Echo and Jae to enter. I was so excited for them to come home. Jae was sleeping in her arms as she walked in, smiling a wide smile.

"Welcome home beautiful" I grin and kiss her.

"Psh, that's just the hormones!" she teases. I chuckle and lead her up the stairs into the baby room I had Dylan paint for us. It was blue and had waves and sailboats; it reminded me of district four. She places Jae into the crib and turns to me. "How does it feel? To be a dad?" she asks with a smile.

"Wonderful." I reply, cupping her face in my hands. We've come a long way since we first met, right after my ending fight with Ivy. She laughs and leans in to kiss me, which I gladly accept.

We stand there kissing for a few seconds before the doorbell rings. Echo groans and mumbles something about gossip and privacy. I follow her to the door to see Ivy, Dylan, Fiona and Kale.

"Come on in."Echo invites they all try to cram through the door at the same time, making me double over in laughter. Eventually they all get themselves in and sit down on Echo's command. "Jae is sleeping so you may not see him just yet." She warns, Ivy and Fiona pout.

They all fall into casual conversation when I hear crying from upstairs, I excuse myself and go up to Jae's room. He's crying and flailing his arms around, I pick him up and he automatically silences. He opens his eyes and I see the same sea green as me, my father and grandfather. Yep, he's an Odair. I smile to myself as I bring him downstairs, bombarded by Ivy and Fiona wanting to look at him. Jae gives a little smirk and points to Ivy, she rolls her eyes and laughs.

"My, my, know I see it, you Odairs learn to flirt and charm at an early age." She teases.

"That's how we do things." I reply, smirking. Everyone laughs and sits back down, I carry Jae back upstairs and give him a bottle to drink from.

After everyone leaves Echo is exhausted and heads to bed early. All I can think about is how perfect my life is becoming.

**An: Sorry it's so short! I just really had no inspiration for this chapter and I found it quite boring to write…2 things I must address.**

**1. I am looking for a Beta as I am WAY too lazy to proof-read my own shit.**

**2. THERE WILL BE NO UPDATES FROM AUGUST 4****th**** TO AUGUST 22****nd**** AS I WILL B IN LONDON! SORRY!**


	11. Chapter 10

**An: Sorry to give this absolutely terrible announcement but…**

**BAD NEWS:**

**I will be ending this story soon as I really don't feel like breaking anyone up for drama's sake and it's not going anywhere.**

**GOOD NEWS:**

**A new story (The main characters being Nickolai Hawthorne, Raine Rendar and Jae Odair plus a mystery character) will be created because that's what I really want to write about…soooo… yeah…sorry.**

Chapter 10

**Ivy POV**

I'm cooking dinner when I feel a sharp pain run through my abdomen. My hand flies to my swollen stomach.

"Dylan?" I call through the house. He appears in the doorway, wiping paint off his hands with a rag. He's smiling until he sees my where my hand is placed. My face screws with pain as I'm hit with another jolt. Dylan is quick to jump to my aid, steadying me as I wobble to the front door.

"Alright, just take deep breaths babe." He tells me as he grabs a jacket and wraps it around my shoulders before opening the door and guiding me to the car.

I focus on breathing in and out; this little boy is going to be the death of me. I have to grit my teeth, to deal with it, every time a new pang of pain spreads.

"AARGH!" I scream as the worst one yet hits. A few seconds after we're pulling into the Capitol issued hospital. One of the E.R. nurses rushed me into a wheelchair and then into a separate room. A group of nurses and doctors were running around, frantically reporting numbers and words.

"Would you rather a natural birth or pain killers?" One of the nurses asked me, smiling sweetly. Just then another wave of pure agony coursed through my body.

"Pain killers." I growled through a clenched jaw, squeezing Dylan's hand a little too hard. The nurse nods and leaves the room. Dylan holds in a chuckle as I scream a string of profanities at no one in particular.

We spend three more hours in this room before they up the dose, knocking me out once the labor is almost done.

**. . .**

By the time I come to my vision is blurry and I see a dark blob contrasting with the white of the walls. As my vision focuses I can make out Dylan holding a bundle of blue blankets.

"Hey babe." He grins widely. "I wanted to wait until you were conscious to name him." He explains, showing me the unfilled paper.

"Thanks." I mumble, taking the paper to write down a name.

_Nickolai Haymitch Hawthorne_

I write, remembering Haymitch's funeral a few weeks ago. I wipe a tear from my face and hand the paper to Dylan. He looks over it and smiles sadly.

"You miss him don't you?" he asks, with a sad look in his eyes.

"Yeah, he was like my grandfather." I nod slowly. My mom took it the hardest; she didn't come out of her room for a week. Dylan brushes the hair out of my face and kisses my forehead.

**Dylan POV**

I look at her sleeping, she looks so peaceful. It's been two days since Nickolai was born and she'd been pretty stressed. A knock at the door pulls me out of my trance.

"Come in." I say softly. The door cracks open and the person steps inside.

"Dylan?" A familiar voice says quietly. I tense and my eyes widen as I turn around.

"Dad?" I say in a shaky voice. He's hanging his head and looks tired, exhausted really.

"Hey…I just wanted to apologize…" he murmured as he took a step towards me. I stand from my chair, still holding Ivy's hand. "I'm really sorry about everything, how I treated you…and your mother. If you don't want me to be part of his life," he said, glancing at Nickolai's crib. "Then I understand." He shifts his weight to his other foot. I've never seen my dad look this vulnerable; I can't deny him of the right to know his first and only grand-child. Reed always tells me that I'm too nice, but I just can't help it.

"Okay…I forgive you." I tell him. His head shoots up and his eyes widen in disbelief.

"Wha-what?" He stutters.

"Yeah, I can't deny you into Nickolai's life." I say ruefully. He nods and surprises me by taking me into a bear hug.

"Thank you so much! I love you Dylan, I hope you know that." He whispers.

"I love you too dad." I say, patting his back.

**An: Had to! As much as I hate Gale…I love my daddy (I'm a daddy's girl) too much to keep him away from his son and grandson :3**

**Anyways! Sorry it's short…I hit a HUGE wall with this story…**


	12. Chapter 11

**An: Sorry I kinda skipped Raine's birth…but it wasn't interesting…at all…**

Epilogue/start of new story

**5 years later**

Jae, Nickolai and Raine were all playing in the Hawthorne's back yard whilst the adults sipped lemonade on the summer's day.

"Come on Sophilla!" Remus carried his two year old girl on his arm. Justeen laughed at his attempts to stop her from crying.

"Aren't I glad I'm not tied down like all you unlucky folks." Kyler scoffed from beside the pool, he was the cool uncle. Hailey glared at him while setting a young Foster in the grass. Kyler had his arm around Beetrick, she was a leggy blonde who seemed to be quite airy.

"Just you wait Ky!" Dylan warned, of course Kyler blew him off.

Over on the other side of the yard the three kids were playing a game.

"You'll be the dragon Jae, Nicki you can be the prince and I'll be the princess." Raine commanded, her parents hoped she wouldn't be this bossy when she got older. Nickolai nodded and Jae protested.

"Why do I have to be the dragon? I'm always the dragon!" Jae was starting to throw a tantrum when Raine spoke up.

"Because! I like Nicki and not you, plus he's nicer!" Jae glared at the two. Nickolai had no opinion in this, once Raine and Jae went at it, there was nothing he could do to stop this.

"Why don't you be the dragon and Nick and I can slay you." Jae pushed his foam sword in her face, she responded by smacking it away and biting his arm. He cried out in pain, which caused Echo to come over to hold her crying son.

"Cry baby!" Raine taunted, she pulled up her nose at him before skipping over to Nickolai and grabbing his hand. "We don't need a dragon." She said matter-of-factly. Raine dragged Nickolai over to the swing set and sat in one while he sat in one next to it. "Why's he so mean to me?" She asked, taking his hand. He shrugged awkwardly. "Whatever, you're my best friend." He had always listened to her, this may have had something to do with the fact he rarely ever spoke.

**5 more years later**

Raine shook her head violently when Jae had asked if she wanted to make mud pies with him and Nick. "Oh, come on! Too afraid to get your nails dirty?" he teased, her face burned red with anger as she crossed her arms and glared at him.

"No…" she said quietly, she had become quieter about a year ago, no one knows why though.

"Sissy!" Jae taunted while smearing mud on her dress. She whimpered and ran back to her house.

"You don't have to be so mean to her; she just didn't want to get her new dress dirty. She'll probably be in trouble with her mom later." Nickolai mumbled this as he sat next to Jae.

"Why would you defend her?" Jae asked him accusingly. "She's such a girly girl!" he hissed.

"You know what? I think you like her!" Nickolai shocked Jae with this statement.

"NO WAY! GIRLS HAVE COOTIES!" Nickolai rolled his eyes, he'd never actually believed this before but Jae did.

"Boys! Time for lunch!" Nickolai's mom called from the house, they both got up and ran to the house, only to see an angry Ivy. "Now, Fiona told me that Raine came home with mud all over her dress…and she was crying." Nickolai's first reaction was to point his finger at Jae. Ivy scolded them but let them in for peanut butter sandwiches.

Jae was sent home and Nickolai was sent to bed as he had school the next day. Nickolai awoke to his mom humming in the hall. He quickly got out of bed to get dressed before rushing out of the house.

Nickolai sat down in his seat at school and turned to talk to Jae before the bell rang.

"I'm pretty sure we have a quiz…how do you think you're going to do?" Nickolai asked him. Jae's face paled before he smiled smugly.

"I'm going to pass." He said matter-of-factly.

"How about you, Raine?" Nick asked her. She turned to face him.

"I don't know…I hope I pass." She said in a small voice. "I studied hard for it." She added softly.

Nickolai nodded and turned to the paper in front of him to start the test.

**Another 5 years later**

"How about this one?" Raine asked, stepping out of the dressing room in a pale pink dress, complimented by a bright blue bow.

"Uck." Jae mumbled before winking at another girl in the store.

"You look great." Nickolai told her, spinning her around in front of the mirror.

"Oh, I don't know…this dance is just such a big thing and I want it to be perfect." She whispered to Nickolai.

"Raine, If you don't buy it then I will." He teased, holding up a fluffy dress to his torso and pretending to model.

"Dude…don't do that." Jae scolded, frowning and shaking his head.

"You're jealous because I make a better girl then you." Nickolai huffed, pretending to fluff his hair. Raine giggled softly and grinned, exactly what Nick was trying to achieve.

**. . .**

"Thanks Nicki, you truly are a girl's best friend." Raine said as they left the dress store. Raine had purchased the dress, knowing Nickolai liked it.

"No problem." He replied, grinning.

And so the trio left for home.

**An: Okay…the next story is called 'Crumbling like pastries' And the first chapter will probably be up, like, 10 minutes after this chapter goes up.**


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